LET JESUS OPEN YOUR LIFE Rev 3:8
(I preached this sermon following the testimony of a woman who had lived a very painful, sexually prostituted and drug addicted life. The sermon could be used by others following a testimony OR it certainly will stand on its own two feet and preach by itself as well.)
I want to thank Janet Gilespie for coming today and sharing her testimony with us. I hope that it was inspiring for you.
The Word of God is inspiring and without taking too much time this morning I want to ask you to take the Bible and turn to Rev 3.
I want to speak somewhat briefly this morning but with great hope that you will consider the importance ....of what I am about to share.
If you have not already experienced it...
I want to invite you this morning to do what Janet has done and that is ....
TO LET JESUS OPEN YOUR LIFE
In Revelation chapter 3 we find a portion of Jesus’ letters to the 7 churches in Asia and I want us to think particularly this morning about that church in Philadelphia...
Paul had good things to say about the believers there at Philadelphia and as you think with me this morning about how Jesus wants to open your life let’s look at Rev 3:8
Jesus said to the believers at Philadelphia....
8 I know your deeds. See, I have placed before you an open door that no one can shut.
Lets stop right there...this morning
Jesus ...placed an open door before those people at the church in Philadelphia.
The first door that they had been through was a door that gave them certainty... that when they had finished passing through the hallway of their current life...
and death had come...they would not experience darkness but rather light and joy, and peace and happiness....We call that door salvation in Jesus Christ.
Have you let Jesus open that door in your life?
Everyone who comes to believe in Christ as Savior has walked through an open door of salvation. It is a door that no one can shut...not even the devil himself can shut that door. BUT ...there is another door that the Lord places before each of us... And it that door that He is speaking about in the verse we just read ...
It is a door of OPPORTUNITY.
An open door to a ministry to share the light of the Lord Jesus Christ with others and how...
JESUS CAN OPEN THEIR LIFE.
The Lord gave Janet Gillespie a testimony...a powerful story to tell of How Jesus opened her life.
Now she has opened her life to others and so in doing has walked through that open door of opportunity that God placed before her.... to share Him..... with others.
Jesus opened the life of Janet Gillespie
SO that she might....share the joy of knowing and living for Jesus with others.
She opens her lips to speak of the goodness of Jesus.
She opens her hands to do those tasks which will bring glory to Jesus.
She opens her eyes to see the need others have of Jesus
Quickly over in your Bibles to Mark chapter 10.
Open your eyes and look for the New Testament and then open your eyes to see Matthew and then Mark chapter 10.
Most of us though we may be great Bible lovers ...could not have found our way to Mark chapter 10 if our eyes where closed. So we have to open our eyes to the word of God.
But I want you to see a man
Who Jesus Opened His Eyes Mark 10 and v46
46Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus, was sitting by the roadside begging.
47When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
48Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"
49Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you."
50Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.
51"What do you want me to do for you?"
Jesus asked him..... The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see."
52"Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.
Jesus physically opened the eyes of blind Bartimaeus but ...it was.... and it is spiritual sort of eyes that Jesus opens as well.
I. Jesus is THE OPENER OF EYES
He does this sometimes physicaly but more important He does it SPIRITUALY.
I have a lot of friends with difficulty with their eyesight.... some in this church, some in the last church I pastored, and some in other places .
I wish Jesus gave me the power to touch their eyes and restore their eyesight. And though God didn’t give me that power He has given me an assurance of a greater sort of sight in the eyes of those friends and it is their spiritual sight.
That Jesus has opened their eyes spiritually.
It is faith in Jesus that paves the way for Him to open our eyes.
In v 47 Bartimaeus called out to Jesus in faith
and what did Jesus do?
He opened the eyes of Bartimaeus!
When we begin to see life through new eyes because Jesus has opened our eyes ...things are far different than before.
We begin to see.... that the things we thought were all so important were truly insignificant things....and we see with our new sight from Christ ....that the things of Christ are where our investment for living must be.
Once Jesus opens our eyes ...the people we saw before as the unlovable become the unforgettable ..because we can’t forget how much Jesus loves them and is waiting for them to respond to Him.
You may have seen the seven wonders of the world..This one and that But you haven’t seen a thing ....Until you cry out of spiritual blindness and believe in faith and let Jesus open your eyes.
Oh ...you’ll see life like never before.
Don’t you want to....Let Jesus Open Your Eyes...?
But Jesus not only opens eyes but He is the
II. Jesus is the OPENER OF HEARTS Acts 16
Jesus Christ is the one who opens hearts.
Jesus has been operating on the hearts of men and women since time began.
But it is a woman named Lydia that we find in Acts Chapter 16 that Jesus opened her heart.
13On the Sabbath we went outside the city gate to the river, where we expected to find a place of prayer. We sat down and began to speak to the women who had gathered there.
14One of those listening was a woman named Lydia, a dealer in purple cloth from the city of Thyatira, who was a worshiper of God. The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message.
15When she and the members of her household were baptized, she invited us to her home. "If you consider me a believer in the Lord," she said, "come and stay at my house." And she persuaded us.
Why does Jesus want to open your heart?
Is it so that He can replace a valve or bypass an artery ...NO...it’s for a reason far greater than that....Jesus want’s to open your heart so that He can put His love inside....and fill your heart with a love for others that only Jesus gives.
V 14 Tells us that through Paul’s preaching the Lord opened Lydia’s heart ....
and what does v 15 teach us the result was....The result was she had a heart for others.
She saw Paul’s needs and sought to meet the needs of others.
We will never begin to do anything for the name of Jesus until we let Him open our hearts enough to be come so concerned about meeting the needs of others.
Has the Lord opened your heart that far this morning?
Will you let Him open your heart?
Jesus is the one who has opened His Word to us.
Jesus opens our eyes....
He Opens our hearts.....
And when He has done that He gives us knowledge for the new life of discovery that brings....
The knowledge comes from His Holy Word.
THE BIBLE.
III. JESUS Has OPENED His Holy Word to You and to Me
When I was a little kid we used to sing the B-I-B-L-E that’s the book for me...
Well Iwant you to know something....
I’m not a little kid anymore....And It’s still the book for me.
I’m a big kid now...and 30 years I’ll be a biigger kid and at 69 and at 99 if the Lord should let me see life on this Earth THE BIBLE WILL STILL BE THE BOOK FOR ME.
It is God’s HOLY WORD....
Opened up to you and
Opened up to me
In John chapter 17 and verse 17 Jesus is praying right before He is about to be arrested and then go to the cross and he prays this to the Father in John 17:17
Listen to what Jesus said
John 17:17 Sanctify them by the truth...your word is truth
Jesus said to God the Father....Give them the truth .....Your Word is Truth.
The WORD OF GOD tells us the WILL OF GOD!
It tells us how to make sure we don’t miss out on the
Happiness
How we can make sure to experience
Holiness
and How we can know one day will be FACE TO FACE WITH JESUS in the
HEAVENLINESS of Eternal Life.
Get It Right This Morning
You Want To Know The Truth ....
We need to let Jesus
Open Our Eyes...
Let Him Open our hearts...
And we need to breathe in His Word He has opened to our lives....
The obvious question this morning is simple....
WILL>>>YOU>>>>> LET>>>JESUS>>>>
OPEN YOUR LIFE?
